Victim injured in machete attack involving Jay Slater speaks out during search for missing teen

The victim of a gang machete attack which involved Jay Slater has made an urgent plea to 'help find' and 'have some respect' for the missing teenager, as the search efforts stretch into their tenth day. Jay was part of an eight-man gang that assaulted Tom Hilton, who was 17 at the time, with a machete and an axe in Rishton, Lancashire, back in August 2021.

Bricklayer Jay, 19, went missing last Monday morning (June 17) after partying for three days at a rave in Tenerife with friends. It's believed he flew to the Spanish island specifically to attend the NRG music festival in the south of the island.

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Information regarding the attack on Mr Hilton attack resurfaced online via social media posts after old articles were unearthed amid increasing efforts to locate Jay. The victim, who gave evidence in court describing the gang as a 'pack of wolves' and illustrated his desperate attempt to flee through the woods before they caught him, suffered serious wounds to his skull, shoulders and legs due to the savage assault, reports the Manchester Evening News.

However, Mr Hilton has taken a stand against internet trolls and called upon the public to 'help find Jay' in a recent post on social media. He urged: "Whoever is writing on these TikToks, give it a rest. This young lad's missing and his family's heartbroken."

He continued his plea by saying: "Put yourself in their shoes. Stop talking nonsense on social media and get this lad found, mentioning my name all this and that. Have some respect and help find this boy and get him back to his family."

Reporting at the time, LancsLive detailed how Jay was given an eight-month community order for violent disorder at Preston Crown Court. The sentence included 25 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work.

During the sentencing, Judge Philip Parry chastised the group for their disgraceful behaviour during the violent disorder, adding: "You should all eight be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves but I am not at all convinced you are."

He also expressed hope for their future, saying: "I hope for the sake of all your families, the public and the people who have offered you jobs and apprenticeships and the sort that you all grow up. Every one of you deserves to be sent to youth detention."

The search for missing teenager Jay continues into its tenth day after he was reported missing near Masca, in Rural de Teno Park, on May 17.